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Topshop: UK Clothing Brand Returns to Egypt at Cairo Festival City

Published On:
02/11/2014

Shopping in Cairo is becoming increasingly eclectic with international brands popping up in every corner. The latest brand to grace our city with its return is Topshop, which had previously closed down its only shop in Maadi due to the political and social instability of the past few years.

Located in Cairo Festival City, Topshop, at first glance, retains its urban high-fashion meets high street vibe. From the lights focused on the mannequins to the neon signs leading to every section of the store, you cannot help but get absorbed into the hip, dare we say, post-modern theme. The clothes also generally carry a more high-end than high-street appearance.

The staff was generally friendly, but not overly eager. They'd stop by, say hi and tell us to call for them if we need any help, but would not insist on accompanying us all throughout our visit, which was refreshingly liberating.

We immediately began scanning the women's section to see what they had to offer and all we can say is we found a handful of items that will totally transform us into street style fashion icons. A formal powder pink jumpsuit (949LE) definitely caught our eye, as did a striped skater dress (519LE) and a cosy fluffy jumper (579 LE). The store also carries a special "petite" line, for all the smaller-sized ladies out there.

We moved on to the shoes and accessories section, where there were plenty more goodies for Cairo's fashion-conscious to drool over. Our favourites included a small leather backpack (549LE), heeled suede boots (1349LE), a sturdy handbag (719LE) and some chic flat loafers (449LE).

The men's line, Topman, was no disappointment either. Some of our finds there included casual sweatshirts (449LE), summery tank-tops (249LE), all kinds of fitted jeans (480LE-600LE) and an array of t-shirts (319LE). Men can accessorise too, with some knitted icecaps (129LE), as well as normal caps (280LE).

We all need some fashion advice, especially when we cannot get our significant other, friends, or mother to accompany us on our shopping trips, and so the store's unique personal shopper service can be a life saver. For no extra charge, the store's resident stylist can help you pick out an outfit or put one together for you from scratch.

All in all, Topshop offers a shopping experience that is one-of-a-kind. The sales personnel were helpful but not too overly-attached, and the new service they're offering is definitely a game changer. The only downside is that many of the items carry hefty price tags – price tags that are, through experience, more than the quality and longevity in the garments offered.

Maybe because they're rare across the otherwise eclectic Cairo shopping scene, but our love for one-stop department stores is infinite. They simply make many a life – and shopping experience – much more pleasant and easy, by offering everything one might ever need in one place. With a branch already in Alexandria, renowned UK department store, Debenhams, has finally landed in Cairo. Located in Cairo Festival City Mall, the store is huge – and by huge we mean it takes up the space of about 4-5 moderately-sized shops. With its bright lighting and overall bright, but basic, colour scheme, the shop is modern and sleek in its design. We immediately noticed, however, the strange scarcity in staff, spotting a single sales personnel every once in a long while. Upon entrance we found ourselves in the kids' clothing section, which offered an abundance of cute options for kids of all ages, from toddlers to tweens. Moving on from this section, we found ourselves in the bath section which offered an abundance of Egyptian cotton bath products, from towels to bath mats. The towels are offered in all sizes (hand towels for 110LE and bath towels for 230LE), as well as in a whopping 42 different colours. The men's section was next, and we found ourselves amidst an array of fashionable items by countless Debenhams-exclusive designers and labels. For sturdy casual-wear, the nautical and outdoorsman-themed Maine brand is a definite catch, offering items like check shirts (400LE) and Khaki pants (500LE). For more semi-formal, smart casual items, the John Rocha brand fits the mould, offering items like an elegant black jacket (1100LE) and a cardigan-inspired, less formal grey jacket (770LE). Said jackets can be paired with some soft V-neck jumpers from one of the more economy brands, Thomas Nash (320LE). The men's section also includes a loungewear and underwear partition. The women's section, meanwhile, was overflowing with alluring apparel for every occasion. The rather coveted Betty Johnson label was the first one we spotted and a fancy teal chiffon top (650LE) and blazer (1100LE) caught our eyes. For plus-size clothing, UK high-street brand, Evans, is stocked and offers an extensive line that includes an intricate white lace collared dress (650LE) and a long, cosy cardigan (525LE). Offering a breath-taking line of eveningwear, another popular UK high-street brand, Coast, was right next door offering a range of slinky elegant dresses. A long, green sequined maxi dress (2900LE) was a showstopper, as well as a short, orange cocktail number (2250LE). For more casual clothing, the Jasper Conran skinny jeans (700LE) looked ultra-comfy yet stylish, and would look street chic with the black and cream Julien Macdonald handbag (800LE). The chart situated amongst all the jeans on display explaining the different fits was definitely helpful and quite a nice touch. We also loved the Miss Selfridge line, with special petite-sized items, and had our eyes on a pair of black booties (699LE) and red court heels (599LE). Next up was an adequate, if unspectacular, makeup and fragrances section, offering beauty goods from major brands including Chanel, Lancome, YSL, Bourjois, Clarins and Givenchy amongst others. Debenhams is definitely a splendid addition to the Egyptian shopping scene and though some of its items carry hefty price tags, they were bursting with great quality across many brands that aren't available anywhere else. It makes for a good shopping destination for those with a maturer sense of style and a simpler alternative in UK brands than the fad-driven stylings of other British chains such as Topshop - another recent addition to Cairo Festival City - and the like.

With over 1000 shops worldwide - two of which are faithful members of the Cairo shopping scene, Lacoste’s little flagship store shines like a beacon with bright lights and immaculate window displays.

The Lacoste uniform reigns throughout the store, with an abundance of plain polo shirts stocked in a plethora of different colours. Of course, their iconic crocodile logo sits proudly on the chest of most - if not all - the garments. As many of the styles overlap in each orderly section, it took a moment to distinguish between the men’s and women’s collections. At the time of our visit, many of the items were on sale; however, this was only discreetly advertised inside the shop.

Women’s polo shirts were priced at a rather steep 995LE, whilst one’s with attractive, beaded versions of the crocodile insignia were retailing at 1160LE. The Lacoste Live line - 100% cotton polos - were 790LE and noticeably softer to the touch, as were the small collection of plain and yellow striped, boyfriend-fit t-shirts (440LE+), tank tops (428LE) and sleeveless polos (665LE). Long sleeved polo shirts were on sale at 590LE, and one woollen jumper would set you back 1720LE. Nautical, blue and white striped day dresses were reduced from 1895LE to 1370LE and pinstriped shirts were 1116LE, whilst casual jeans cost upwards of 1000LE.

Mirroring the women’s section, men’s polo shirts crept closer to the 1000LE mark, as did the range of smarter dress shirts. An eye-catching bright orange and black polo shirt was priced at 1250LE and a slick, black tailored-fit button-down was 1292LE. A summery collection of short-sleeved casual shirts were 770LE, pale blue trousers were marked down from 1220LE to 976LE and navy shorts from 1390LE to 875LE. In preparation for the winter season, we spotted a navy windbreaker for 1895LE. There was also a small section dedicated to the bigger man, with a selection of larger polo shirts and several pairs of jeans, which were reduced from 1495LE to 965LE.

The children’s section is much smaller, but offers a range of fun t-shirts (400LE+), mini-me chequered shirts (600LE+), girls' sun dresses (810LE) and tank tops (435LE). Again, the standard polo shirts were priced high at 845LE, whilst special edition t-shirts with Swarovski crystal emblems were presented in a gift box and were priced at 990LE.

Lacoste largely stays true to its reputation by stocking a large number of uniform items. But although few in number, we were glad to see some other styles, too. Prices are almost excruciatingly high, so one can only hope that this is reflected in the quality of the garments.